The weekend before Thanksgiving, on my personal calendar, had several appointments and events penciled in for weeks. After consulting with family and friends, this pastor decided to try to make them all and make a trip of it.

The travels began on Friday, November 21, with a drive to Graham, NC. In Graham, the Christian Unity Committee, of the North Carolina Council of Churches (NCCC), and its Common Good Project Subcommittee were to meet at First United Methodist Church. We planned the third Common Good Project Conversation for March 12, 2009. Its theme will be "Reflections on the Common Good and the 2008 Elections," and it will involve activists, church leaders, journalists, and others, from across the political spectrum, in the conversation. Required reading for the conversation will be Matthew 25, Romans 13, Revelation 13, "The Declaration of Independence," and selections from "The Constitution of the United States" (namely, the Preamble and the First Amendment). It should be interesting.

After these NCCC meetings, this pastor was glad to take Holy Communion to Virginia Hurdle and Penny Taylor, who live in nearby Burlington. Both Virginia and Penny expressed heartfelt thanks for the prayer shawls the Christ’s Crafters made for, and sent to, them. Then a long drive ended in Elkton, MD, where a Motel 6, just off the interstate highway, had left a light on for this traveler.

The morning of Saturday, November 22, had this driver on the road headed for the home of the Rev. Paul Crikelair family in Stroudsburg, PA. It was a privilege to visit with Emily, who is continuing to recover from the lightning strike of last summer, and her family. Sitting in a wheel chair, Emily receives plenty of loving attention and encouragement from her mother, father, brothers, and sisters. This is a living icon of Christian love in a Christian family. Conversation was non-stop. Laughter was present. And occasional tears could not be held back. Emily and her family expressed thanks for the card from St. Peter's Church and for the prayer shawl from the Christ’s Crafters.

Then, after driving through beautiful eastern New Jersey, this driver arrived at the Hilton Garden Inn, on South Avenue, in Staten Island, NY. That evening Father Frank Pavone's 20^th Anniversary as a Priest and 15^th Anniversary as the Director of Priests for Life was celebrated -- for over five hours! It was an honor to provide the evening's invocation and then to enjoy the evening's festivities.

An executive of Priests for Life spoke of Fr. Pavone's extraordinariness: he is a visionary leader and a master of detail, a gifted speaker and a gifted writer, a devout priest and an ecumenical leader, a thinker and a doer. Fr. Pavone, he said, may one day become a martyr for the faith. "But not too soon!" Fr. Pavone's mother protested, as the assembly erupted in laughter.

"Father Frank," as he is called, then spoke for a few minutes about leadership, a hot topic of our time. He noted that real leadership is learned by observing and imitating great leaders. From John Cardinal O'Connor, Father Frank learned daily to pray, "Lord, don't let me stand in the way of anybody doing good." From Mother Theresa, he learned to point out the good in all people. From Mother Angelica (of EWTN), he learned to go through only the doors that God provides each day. And from Pope John Paul II, he learned to go where the people are, to be with the people.

Father Frank also recalled a story about Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. "It is impossible to pass civil-rights legislation at this time," he was warned by a powerful politician. "We'll just have to see about that," King replied, since he knew the people have the last word in this democracy.

All in all, it was a memorable celebration of an outstanding leader in the Church and society.

Early the next morning (Sunday, November 23), that gray-silver Taurus with a North Carolina tag was heading south on I-95. Vowing to attend the first church service found near 11:00 a.m., I worshipped at Mt. Ephraim Baptist Church in Mt. Ephraim, NJ.

Then it was back in the car for the drive to Raleigh, a night in another Motel 6, a dinner with Matthew, and an Order of the Elders meeting the next morning. By 4:00 p.m., this pastor had returned to the Mitchell Village parsonage in Morehead City.

The journey had been long (1,450 miles), challenging, and filled with the friendships and tasks with which Christ blesses those in His Church.

Now, it is time for Advent. It is time to prepare for the coming of Christ. Advent, also, is a journey.